Speeches Shim
Ten thousand emerging farmers across Zambia will receive support to increase their productivity, incomes, and sustainable farming practices under a new project spearheaded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Corteva Agriscience, Global Communities, and John Deere. The objective of the Zambia Emerging Farmers Partnership is to transform Zambia’s largely subsistence sector through the commercialization of emerging farmers. The three-year project will leverage more than K777 million (US$37 million) in loans for inputs and equipment, resulting in more than 50,000 hectares of crops planted using climate-adaptive seeds and other sustainable technologies.
It is a great honor for me to be here with you at the signing of this memorandum of understanding for the Emerging Farmers Partnership project between USAID, Corteva Agriscience, John Deere, and Global Communities. This MOU represents some of USAID’s most important values: economic resilience, private-sector engagement, and self-reliance.
I am delighted to be here today on behalf of the U.S. government to join the Ministry of General Education in distributing of more than two million books and five thousand tablets for the benefit of the students and teachers of Zambia. These teaching and learning materials are yet another indication of the U.S. government’s continued partnership and commitment in support of Zambia’s Primary Literacy Program. These teaching and learning materials will open minds, expand horizons, and introduce millions of primary school children across Zambia to new worlds and opportunities.
On behalf of the US Agency for International Development, it is my pleasure to join you for this Safe Motherhood 360+ end-of-project event. I want to begin by acknowledging the team for their hard work and commitment over the past five years to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for mothers and children in Zambia. Improving the health of women and children is a core priority for USAID, including a focus on reducing preventable maternal and perinatal illness and death. In partnership with the Government of the Republic of Zambia and other stakeholders, we support evidence-based, high-impact interventions that save lives and make them better, and contribute up to $13 million every year to support better health for women, newborns, and children.
On December 15, the U.S. government handed over 5,000 tablet computers and more than 2 million textbooks, readers, teachers’ guides, and other teaching and learning materials, to the Ministry of General Education (MoGE). These tablets and materials will benefit approximately 20,000 teachers and 1.4 million learners in Early Childhood Education (ECE) through Grade 3 in five target provinces across the country. By 2024, the USAID Let’s Read Project will provide more than 5 million books and other learning materials in the seven official languages stipulated by the MoGE to over 4,600 public and community schools.
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